McCarl Dental Group Blog

When we decide to incorporate a new dentistry technique or technology into our dental office, we look for tools that make dentistry easier, faster, more comfortable, and more affordable for our dental patients. The Glidewell Fastmill.io same-day dental crown system offers all of these benefits and more. Keep reading to learn about the many advantages of one-visit dental restorations in our blog.

Dentists field questions regularly about pacifier use, thumb sucking, and other self-soothing toddler habits that can negatively impact a child’s oral health. It’s important for parents to remember that most thumb sucking and other self-soothing behaviors are not damaging, and they may be helping your child to feel safe and secure. The individual development of the child needs to be the determining factor when it comes to decisions about intervening with self-soothing habits, so when it comes to your child’s pacifier use or thumb sucking, there’s no such thing as “normal” or an exact age when it’s time to stop. Your child’s best interest is always our top priority when you visit us for children’s dentistry services. You can watch our video about toddler habits to hear directly from Dr. Jay McCarl about how pacifier usage and thumb sucking can impact kids. Keep reading our blog below for a little more detail.

There’s no better way to celebrate Dental Hygiene Month each October than to share a healthy, happy smile! If you’re struggling to maintain the optimal level of oral hygiene, your dentist can recommend steps you to improve your daily at-home routine for effective dental hygiene in Greenbelt. Don’t forget to schedule your biannual dental checkups and professional teeth cleanings to ensure your smile stays healthy for life.

If you’ve ever dealt with stress for more than the few a days or hours before a big job interview or other event, you know that it can negatively impact your body. People under stress experience head and body aches, struggle to maintain a typical sleep schedule, and are often at greater risk for health issues as the immune system is overtaxed in bodies with an elevated level of stress. Unfortunately, your smile isn’t immune to stress either. For many people, oral health issues related to stress are found during regular preventive dentistry visits, and for some, this is a wakeup call that encourages them to make some changes in their daily life and reduce stress levels. Some stress can’t be avoided, but the long term impact on oral and overall health can be detrimental. If you’re experiencing high levels of stress at home, work, or school, finding different ways to manage your stresses may be an important part of protecting your smile and overall health. In this blog, we review some of the common oral health conditions diagnosed in people who are under stress.

If you’ve cracked or broken a dental crown or other restoration, your Greenbelt dentist may be able to help. In some cases, we can replace the dislodged dental crown, but no matter what the situation, we can create a personalized plan to repair your damaged smile as quickly as possible. In this blog, we walk through the process to restore your smile after a dental crown has been damaged.

September is National Gum Care Month. Year-round, we promote preventive dentistry for our Greenbelt dental patients to avoid the majority of oral health concerns, including gum disease, but this month dedicated to increasing awareness is a great time to review some of the basics of achieving and maintaining optimal oral health. In this blog, we discuss the importance of healthy gums and some simple ways to avoid gum disease through preventive dental care at-home and in our Greenbelt dental office.

If you’ve ever dealt with stress for more than the few a days or hours before a big job interview or other event, you know that it can negatively impact your body. People under stress experience head and body aches, struggle to maintain a typical sleep schedule, and are often at greater risk for health issues as the immune system is overtaxed in bodies with an elevated level of stress. Unfortunately, your smile isn’t immune to stress either. For many people, oral health issues related to stress are found during regular preventive dentistry visits, and for some, this is a wakeup call that encourages them to make some changes in their daily life and reduce stress levels. Some stress can’t be avoided, but the long term impact on oral and overall health can be detrimental. If you’re experiencing high levels of stress at home, work, or school, finding different ways to manage your stresses may be an important part of protecting your smile and overall health. In this blog, we review some of the common oral health conditions diagnosed in people who are under stress.